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Sports Documentaries
- 1999
- AddAbove All Else: The Everest Dreamto QueueAddAbove All Else: The Everest Dreamto top of Queue
What is it about Mount Everest that attracts thousands of people to its peaks every year? Above All Else: The Everest Dream follows two climbers, Alan Hobson and Jamie Clark as they make their third attempt at climbing Everest in ten years. Will they have the strength and determination this mountain demands of its climbers? Find out in this captivating program, and learn about the culture of the people who live in the surrounding region along the way. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Hobson, Jamie Clarke, (more)
Jackie Robinson was a hero both on and off the baseball diamond. This program tells his story, and how he made history by becoming the first black American to break the color barrier in major league baseball. The former multi-sport All American went on to a stellar baseball career and Hall of Fame stature. He is remembered in this biography by his teammates for his dignity in the face of continuing racism. Off the field, he pursued his quest for equal rights by working with Dr. Martin Luther King in the civil rights movement. Archival film clips, photographs, and interviews with his widow and friends tell the story of this American hero. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
This documentary on the Harley-Davison subculture includes interviews with Willie Davidson, grandson of the company's founder; Harley-Davidson artist Arlen Ness; and various veteran bikers. Cameras follow a couple on their first motorcycle trip together, traveling from Seattle to Sturgis, South Dakota, site of Harley's annual gathering of 150,000 bikers. Shown at the 1997 AFI/Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Tobias, Alex Landes, (more)
- 2000
- AddChampions Forever: The Latin Legendsto QueueAddChampions Forever: The Latin Legendsto top of Queue
Edward James Olmos narrates this boxing documentary, which spotlights the careers of six of the best Latin boxers of all time -- Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Alexis Arguello, Carlos Ortiz, Kid Gavilan and the late Salvador Sanchez. Highlights include ring stats, slow motion knockouts, in-depth biographies of the fighters, and archival fight footage. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide
Adrenaline junkies rejoice. The Crash Mania series was intended just for you. Packed with enough crashes to satisfy the most voyeuristic fan, this three-part run has it all. Crash Mania: Extreme Impact goes back to the beginning of stock car racing. These heavy monsters guaranteed some spectacular accidents every night at the track. From off-road incidents to gut-wrenching head-ons, the video takes a metal-bending journey through racing history. Walls, trees, and autos serve as cushioning for these speed demons. When the smoke gets too thick, Crash Mania clears the road for a bikini contest. Motorbike aficionados also get an eye full. With noisy crashes and shapely contestants, this first volume does go to the extreme. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
A first-hand account of young athletes in the high school football-obsessed town of Massillon, OH, this first feature by director Kenneth A. Carlson was shot on high-definition video over the course of the 1999 football season of the Massillon Tigers. At the beginning of the season, the team is nursing a "four-and-six nightmare season" and want to redeem themselves. Meanwhile, school officials attempt to raise funds though a tax levy after defeats at the polls, but if the levy is rejected again, it may mean unemployment for much of the school personnel, including the coaches. In retaliation, the players assume a winning season which puts extra pressure on them to earn scholarships and work much harder than a standard season. Among the handful of players depicted are Ellery Moore, a black defensive end with high ambitions to get out of his small town, especially after it is revealed that he has a shady past which may have included sexual assault. The film also candidly looks at the players off the field, as they drink and taunt fellow classmates who believe that the town has a misplaced sense of priorities.
~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- 1999
- AddMLB: Major League Baseball All Century Teamto QueueAddMLB: Major League Baseball All Century Teamto top of Queue
This video showcases the 30 greatest baseball players of the 20th century. Narrator Bob Costas introduces player interviews and spectacular exclusive baseball footage of the sport's best. The 30 legends include Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan, and Mickey Mantle. A wonderful retrospective of the nation's favorite pastime. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
The dreams and struggles of three aspiring boxers and the trainer who works with them (at the same Bed-Stuy gym where Mike Tyson used to work out) form the basis of On The Ropes, a documentary that debuted at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Noel Santiago, a one-time gang member, has the skills to be a good boxer, but lacks the conviction to work through the struggles involved. George Walton, a Golden Gloves champ, had his shot at a professional career but lost it at the hands of a crooked manager and is looking for a second chance. Tyrene Manson, a fiercely determined female boxer, sees fighting as her best chance to escape poverty until she's arrested during a drug raid on her uncle's home. And trainer Harry Keitt, a former fighter himself who once sparred with Muhammad Ali, tries to live down a history of alcoholism and a stretch in prison as he walks a fine line between nurturing the talents of the young people he cares for and trying a grab a percentage of the money they could earn as champions. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Catch a wave! Super Slide explores the history of classic longboard-style surfing, with plenty of remarkable archival footage, as well as a look at Joel Tudor, a world champion surfer who has inspired a revival of this old-school style. With this video, you will never be called a ho-dad again. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1997
- NR
- AddThe Secrets of the Warrior's Power: Kung Fu - The Fighting Arts of Chinato QueueAddThe Secrets of the Warrior's Power: Kung Fu - The Fighting Arts of Chinato top of Queue
The Secrets of the Warrior's Power: Kung Fu documents how the ancient Shaolin monks combined breathing techniques with Chi movements in order to create what the world thinks of today as martial arts. Well-known martial artists (Chan Pui, Pan Qing Fu, Bruce Lee, etc.) are shown displaying a variety of moves and answering interview questions. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
In the mid-'70s, skateboarding was widely seen as a fad of the 1960s that had all but died out, except for a handful of committed fans in California. But that began to change with the emerge of the Z-Boys, a team of teenaged skateboarders who emerged from a decaying urban community in Santa Monica, CA. Hard-core surfers who sought to translate the hot-dogging stunts of world-class wave riders onto their skateboards began hanging out at the Zephyr Productions Surf Shop, a store that stocked top-grade equipment for local surfers and skaters, and with the help of the store's owner Jeff Ho, twelve of the skaters organized themselves into a team to compete at local skate events. Soon the radical moves and scruffy-streetwise style of the Zephyr Skate Team -- the Z-Boys for short -- upended public preconceptions of skateboarding as a sport and a lifestyle, and the wild style of Z-Boy skaters such as Tony Alva, Jim Muir, and Jay Adams made them celebrities who blazed the trail for the extreme sports movement. But while the Z-Boys' success brought them a measure of fame and fortune -- lucrative endorsement contracts, deals to manufacture their own custom skateboards, and even movie roles (Tony Alva starred opposite Leif Garrett in Skateboard, while Z-Boy Stacy Peralta was top-billed in Freewheelin') -- their fame proved to be fleeting, and several of the Z-Boys fell prey to drugs, crime, and ego. Dogtown and Z-Boys is a documentary by former Z-Boy Stacy Peralta that chronicles the glory days of the Z-Boys through footage of the skaters in their prime and interviews with the pioneers of the Southern California skate scene. Rock musicians and noted skate enthusiasts Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, and Jeff Ament also appear to discuss the importance of the Z-Boys' legacy; Sean Penn narrates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Penn
From the beaches of South America to the shores of Polynesia, surfer Kelly Slater and his fearless team of wave-twisters hang-ten in some of the most formidable waters on the planet as tunes by Eddie Vedder, The Beta Band, and more provide the perfect musical backdrop to the awe-inspiring footage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Follow along with one girl's obsession as she truly discovers what it takes to stay afloat in the world of women's surfing in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride the waves with a true professional. Featuring remarkable footage of Melanie Bartel in action, revealing interviews, and a pulse-pounding soundtrack, A Girl's Surf Addiction will make you want to wax your board and run for the coast. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Known as "The Baron of the Bluegrass," University of Kentucky basketball coach Adolph Rupp became - in terms of wins - the second most successful coach in the history of United States collegiate basketball, racking up 876 single-game victories during a forty-two-year term that spanned 1930 to 1972, and earning a fond place in the hearts of college basketball fans and coaches across the country. The documentary Adolph Rupp: Myth, History and Fact provides a detailed overview of Rupp's astonishing career, from his early days as a ball player in Kansas, through his peerless streak of winning seasons, to his death at age 76 in December, 1977. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
The documentary Airmania carries viewers on a countrywide goose chase, to meet the most eccentric, colorful, and devoted devotees of Michael "Air" Jordan in the United States -- folks who have built significant portions of their otherwise-plain lives around the antics of the Chicago Bulls superstar. Featured here are a schoolteacher who works Jordan into every single lesson; a die-hard fan who constructed and maintains a Jordan museum in his backyard; and a pastor who literally worships Jordan at his church, "The Church of Michael." As an added bonus, the film works in trips to the Michael Jordan Highway and Michael Jordan restaurant. It's a colorful romp that revels in the idiosyncratic quirkiness of mid-Americans, in the mold of Gates of Heaven, Vernon, Florida, and Motel. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1998
- AddBabe Ruth: The Life Behind the Legendto QueueAddBabe Ruth: The Life Behind the Legendto top of Queue
As its title implies, this video attempts to go beyond the public persona of one of major league baseball's greatest stars. Accepting Ruth as a larger-than-life figure, this 59-minute video doesn't attempt to rationalize, apologize, or analyze his behavior. Rather, it endeavors to present an unbiased account of the life of George Herman Ruth, contradictions and all. Here was an individual who was at once self-indulgent -- he reportedly had an enormous appetite for wine, women, song, as well as food -- and yet was capable of performing many charitable acts. Produced by HBO Studios in 1999, the video also examines Ruth's athletic career: the pitching prowess he demonstrated with the Boston Red Sox, the seemingly super-human batting skills he displayed during his greatest years with the New York Yankees, the 714 career home runs, and the years of decline. The video also places Ruth's career in a historical context, revealing him to be very much a man of his era -- the Roaring '20s. ~ Dan Harvey, All Movie Guide
In a rare foray into documentary filmmaking, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment produced this behind-the-scenes look at professional wrestling, shot on digital video by director (Barry W. Blaustein), screenwriter of several hit Eddie Murphy comedies. An unabashed wrestling fan since childhood, Blaustein nevertheless takes an unflinching look at the dark underbelly of the "sport," as he shadows a trio of wrestlers representing three very different aspects of the profession. Mick Foley is a superstar shown to be the complete opposite of "Mankind," his successful wrestling character. At work, Mankind is a bloodthirsty animal, but when his mask is off, he's a loving, doting father clearly worshipped by his two young kids, who are traumatized when they witness Foley being bloodied at an Anaheim, California, event. Terry Funk is a portrait of what Foley could become, a former legend now at the end of his career and in desperate need of knee surgery, but continuing to perform dangerous stunts in the ring. Jake "The Snake" Roberts, on the other hand, travels in second-class wrestling circles, a recovering drug addict who has a painful reconciliation with his daughter. Blaustein also interviews the World Wrestling Federation's boastful bigwig Vince McMahon. McMahon later tried to block the release and promotion of the film. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry W. Blaustein, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, (more)
This episode of the popular television series Biography tells the tale of the most famous basketball team in the world, The Harlem Globetrotters. The documentary charts their early beginning in Chicago with founder Abe Saperstein and includes footage of some of the most famous players ever to don the Globetrotter uniform including Meadowlark Lemon. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
This documentary traces a pair of extremely loyal Boston Red Sox fans as they get caught up in the emotion of another season for Beantown's baseball heroes. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
This landmark title from surf movie extraordinaire Bill Ballard is the first of its kind to feature all women surfers. Top names include Lisa Andersen, Rochelle Ballard, Layne Beachley, Serena Brooke, and Megan Abubo. Originally shot in 1998 on the beaches of Hawaii, Samoa, Australia, South Africa, and Mexico, along with archive footage. The video presents contemporary women surfers within a historical context, featuring interviews and the music of Crystal Method, Dancehall Crashers, and Morcheeba. Also includes a segment devoted to surfer Rell Sunn and her battle with cancer. Running about an hour, the top-selling Blue Crush started a new genre of commercial surf movies featuring women. Beachley, Ballard, and Abubo appeared as surfers and stunt doubles in the 2002 Universal release of the same name. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
This official and authorized biography serves as a tribute to retired superbike racer Carl Fogerty. From White Star, Champion Carl Fogarty blends together footage from some of the athlete's biggest races with interviews with several of his contempories to tell the story of one of the sport's biggest stars. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Chlorine: A Pool Skating Documentary takes a look at a particular subculture of the skating community, those who spend their time perfecting tricks in drained swimming pools. The documentary features footage from some of the most famous pool skaters of their time including Steve Alba, Dave Hackett, Doug Saladino, and Lance Mountain. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- AddCurren and Slater: Surfer's Journal Biographyto QueueAddCurren and Slater: Surfer's Journal Biographyto top of Queue
Curren and Slater: Surfer's Journal Biography documents the career os two beloved surfers, Tom Curren and Kelly Slater. In addition to offering footage of both of them in action, the program showcases how each came to dominate the sport during their respective heydays. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Steven Lawerence examines the state of surfing around the world in the documentary Down the Barrel. Some of the sport's biggest names are seen in action, and also discuss how the lifestyle has spread throughout the globe. Among the experts featured are Kelly Slater, Kalani Robb, and Joel Parkinson. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
This release collects stories done by ESPN on the world champion NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon In addition to the various profiles, stories, and interviews, this release offers shortened versions of six famous races he won. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Gordon
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